Monday, January 29, 2018

Kentucky Governor Bevin declares a day of prayer in the wake of deadly school shooting

The butcher's bill from Tuesday's shooting at Marshall County High School in Kentucky includes two dead; another 21 injured. In the aftermath of every shooting people pray. And then there is another shooting. To this survivor of gun violence it is infuriating.

Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin is part of the “thoughts and prayers” caucus:

I want to encourage this community to do what it’s doing, which is pray. I also want to encourage every single faith-based organization, church, house of worship, everyone this Sunday to pray for Marshall County.

We have seen evil and the face of evil as it has emerged, and the acts it has perpetrated on this community. But I’ll tell you what’s stronger than evil: it’s good, and in the end, God wins. That’s a fact.

No, that is not a fact. Demons do not kill people with firearms. What is a fact is that too many people have access to too many weapons of mass destruction and Bevin doesn't question—not for a second—how a 15-year-old had access to a handgun, apparently with a high capacity magazine. Instead of praying, Bevin should offer some “thoughts” on gun safety.

We can't celebrate death in video games, celebrate death in TV shows, celebrate death in movies, celebrate death in musical lyrics and remove any sense of morality and sense of higher authority and then expect that things like this are not going to happen.

That is just meaningless noise from Wayne LaPierre's email account. What clues, if any, did teachersKentucky Governor Matt Bevin signs a prayer proclamation as a
substitute for common-sense gun safety initiatives. miss? Not to assign blame but to know what training is required. What could we have done to prevent this kid from having access to a handgun? Bevin can pray until his knees fall off. It doesn't do a bit of good unless accompanied with a responsible response to gun violence.

Just hours after the shooting, state Sen. Steve West, rushed to file a bill to put more guns in schools. The measure would let local districts hire armed marshals to patrol public schools, make citizen's arrests and protect people from “imminent death or serious physical injury.”

That's the answer? Thoughts, prayers and more guns? That's the Republican plan. Those marshals are more likely to kill innocent students or get shot themselves than to prevent deaths and injuries. Doesn't it make more sense to have fewer guns available to kids?